View and copy an older file

Browse a file's revisions

Right-click a file in Working Changes or a commit's file list and choose Show File History. A separate window opens with the file's revisions, including its earlier names.

Choose Show File History again for the same file in the same repository and source branch to return to its open window. If the window is minimized, GitLode restores it. Your scope, selected revision, and scroll position stay unchanged. For a different source branch or detached commit, you get a separate window.

Source Branch is the default scope. Choose All Branches to include local branches, remote-tracking branches, and tags. Revisions load in the background. Your selected revision remains selected as more results arrive.

Select a revision to see its message, metadata, and file path. When you change scope, the selected revision stays selected if it is available; otherwise, the newest revision is selected. Use Show in Main Window to select the commit in the workspace from which you most recently requested this history. That workspace must still be available. Double-click a revision, or choose Open Diff, to compare it in your external diff tool. To use an external diff tool, you need Full Git Integration.

When you select a different revision, you see its commit message from the top. The message's scroll position and selected text stay unchanged as more history results arrive.

Copy an older file into Finder

1. Select a revision in the File History list.
2. With the list focused, press Command+C or choose Edit > Copy File.
3. Open the destination folder in Finder and press Command+V.

You can also right-click a revision and choose Copy File.

This copies the selected historical file. In the main history list, Command+C copies the commit hash. Copying selected text still works normally in text controls.

Preview or save a version

Press Space for Quick Look. Use the arrow keys to preview other selected revisions. You can also choose Save Version As or drag a version into Finder.

For a deletion, the preview and export use the previous available file version. Exports preserve binary contents, executable mode, and symbolic links. Quick Look displays a symbolic link's stored target text.

See Tips & tricks for more file shortcuts.